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Arts briefs

Posted: April 3, 2013 - 2:48pm

The Kenai Fine Arts Center, 816 Cook Avenue in Old Towne Kenai, is hosting “Small Shots” in the month of May. The center is calling for artists to submit entries for this 10th anniversary and last show. Entries may be photos or paintings which are 70 square inches or less. Entries must be 2-dimensional. For information-e-mail Bill Heath at wheath@acsalaska.net.

Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre announces a public performance of “Lear Khehkwaii” in the Soldotna High School theater on April 10 at 7 p.m. The performance is a 90 minute version of Shakespeare’s “King Lear” inspired by Gwich’in language and culture. The play is set in late 1800s Alaska, a time when Alaska Native cultures were introduced to western influences and when the King James Bible (originated in Shakespeare’s time) was being translated into the Gwich’in language. Half of the script has been translated into the Gwich’in language and will be incorporated into the production and performed by a multi-cultural cast of eleven artists including native Gwich’in speakers, Alaska Native, Native American actors and FST company members. The project incorporates arts education and language revitalization through the live performance of one of the world’s greatest story tellers, William Shakespeare.

For more information about this unique, multi-cultural, lan-guage revitalization, theatre project visit www.fstalaska.org.

The Pen the Kenai community writing project is seeking submissions from Kenai Peninsula residents. Pen the Kenai is a companion to the Paint the Kenai community mural project, where artists from around the peninsula are invited to paint a mural tile that represents the artist’s take on “Life on the Kenai.” All murals will be displayed over the summer, and community members will vote on one to be painted in a public space on the peninsula.

Similarly, Pen the Kenai asks peninsula residents to represent what “Life on the Kenai” means to them. All submissions will be displayed with the murals at the visitors center in Kenai. Semi-finalist submissions will be selected to be published in a Paint/Pen the Kenai book to commemorate the projects. And one winning writer will be chosen to have their submission put on permanent display with the mural.

Entries may be in the style of the writer’s choosing — essay, poetry, narrative, etc. — but may not exceed 500 words.

Only one entry per writer is allowed.

Entries must be original, not previously or concurrently published elsewhere, though writers reserve the right to use their entries in any other venue after the Paint/Pen the Kenai summer art show.